


Family Ties

by TheOfficialKai517



Series: New Steps [3]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23500438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOfficialKai517/pseuds/TheOfficialKai517
Summary: Sequel to "Step by Step."Cassandra and Varian decide it's time for both if them to look into their unknown family histories.
Relationships: Cassandra/Varian (Disney: Tangled)
Series: New Steps [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654078
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EclipsedMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclipsedMoon/gifts).



**Preface**

**Years Ago**

* * *

_Byron Woodson looked out of his window on that fateful day. Two young women-- the princess, clearly, with her long golden hair done up to keep it out of the way, and a strange girl with short black hair-- made their way to the edge of the village, stopping when they reached the house of Quirin._

_While he wasn't terribly surprised that they were visiting the leader of Old Corona, he couldn't help but wonder just why they were there._

_He also couldn't help but study the unfamiliar woman with the princess. Her dark hair was interrupted by occasional streaks of light, and something about that seemed extremely familiar to him..._

_Before he could go outside to get a closer look, though, the woman and the princessAgo went inside the house._

_Byron felt a tug at the hem of his shirt just then, and smiled when he looked down to see his youngest son. He leaned down to pick Mark up, resting him on his hip and shooting one last glance outside before turning around to join his family inside the living room._


	2. Chapter One

**i. Home**

* * *

Loud, infectious laughter met Varian as he opened the door to his home, and he had to smile. He loved the days that he got to come home to his happy, smiling family, as opposed to finding them at odds with each other.

Trystan was about two years old now, and very vocal about what she thought and felt. She was very much like Cassandra in that regard, at least when she was upset. Add that to Cass herself, much more mature and able to sort through what she said and did for the most part-- but a little less so now, being rather hormonal thanks to her second pregnancy-- and at times, you had a recipe for disaster.

He took off his boots, leaving them in their regular spot by the door before heading to find his wife and daughter. He found them both in the room he shared with Cass, sitting next to each other on the bed. Cass had a book open in front of her, and Trystan was studying the pages while leaning into her mother.

He paused in the doorway, watching the quiet scene before him with a warm smile.

A moment passed, and several pages were turned, before Trys began laughing again. It was then that both of them noticed him standing there. When Trystan looked up, her round little face lit up.

"Daddy!"

She stood up-- which prompted Cass to immediately reach to hold onto her-- and extended her arms to him. He laughed softly and moved over to take her in his arms. The little girl was getting bigger and older, and it constantly amazed Varian... And, while she rarely commented on it, he knew it was the same for Cass.

"How are my girls doing?" he asked them both, quickly kissing Trystan's forehead.

"Good!" the toddler exclaimed, grinning up at him, "Mommy was just telling me a funny story."

"Oh?"

He glanced over at Cass, who held up the book they'd been reading-- an illustrated treasury filled with stories taken from the history of Corona.

"What about that story's so funny, Trys?" he prompted quietly, smirking a little.

"About Auntie Raps," she said, nodding seriously, "she never lived in a tower!"

He shook his head a little, smiling. "She actually did, sweetie."

"She did?! But _why?"_

"We didn't get to that part of the story yet," Cass explained softly, shaking her head, "because _someone_ found the story hilarious from the very first line."

He laughed a little before asking: "and how are _you,_ Cassie?"

His face had grown a little more serious and concerned. The past three months had _not_ been easy on Cass, and it worried him to no end.

"I'm fine, Var," she assured him, "had a pretty busy day with entertaining Trys."

He nodded a little bit. "Good."

Varian moved to sit next to Cass, moving Trystan so she was sitting in his lap. He had to smile when they both leaned into him, Cass resting her head on his shoulder while Trys's head rested on his chest.

"So... Where were you guys again?" he asked suddenly, motioning to the treasury.

"First sentence," Cass responded, laughing a little.

He nodded, looking at the book before him. One page had an illustration of what was clearly meant to be Rapunzel in a rather dingy-looking tower, while the other page held the words to the story.

He cleared his throat before starting: "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Rapunzel..."

* * *

Cassandra shut the book for Varian once he had finished reading Rapunzel's tale. The second half of the story had fallen on deaf ears, based on the way that Trystan's head had lulled midway through. He smiled softly, standing up carefully while still holding the sleeping toddler. He went to put her in her bed, gently kissing her forehead and tucking her in before heading back to his and Cass's room.

"Var... Something came for you today," Cass said softly, "the envelope over on your desk..."

He spotted exactly what she was talking about and went to grab it. Aside from his name, the envelope was completely unmarked. He frowned slightly but opened it up and read the note inside. The frown deepened as he read through it once, twice, three times...

"Varian?"

Cass stood up, moving to his side and wrapping her arms around his waist, reading the note over his shoulder.

** We're still here. **

* * *

**ii. New Worries**

* * *

Cassandra read and reread the note just as Varian was doing. Every time she did so, she felt her heart drop out of her chest.

"Is that from...?"

"It has to be," he murmured softly, "I mean, who else would send something so... _Ominous?"_

"They've been silent for nearly two years... Why speak up now?"

"I have no idea, Cassie."

She sighed a little, burying her face in his shoulder from behind. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I," he agreed quietly.

"... Do you think they're going to go after her again?"

Varian shook his head. "No. They'd only go after her if they still though she was the Child of the Moon or whatever. And they've already determined that she's not what they're looking for."

Cass pulled away from him, frowning deeply. "They're not going to stop until they find the Child... And they're absolutely positive that the Child is either one of us, or some relative of ours..."

He could see just where his wife's mind was going. "Cassie. The baby's going to be okay. Nothing 's going to happen to that; the Sons won't even get the chance to do anything, I swear."

"Yeah," she snorted derisively, "and they never even got the chance to kidnap Trys in the first place, either."

He sighed softly, gently cupping her cheek in his hand. "We're going to protect her. And we'll protect them, too. You and our family are going to remain safe."

"And who's going to go after those damned Sons?" she questioned, "you heard the reports. After the fire, they just... _Left._ They're based somewhere else now, and nobody's given a second thought to the idea of trying to track them down... We'd be the only ones. I mean, Raps and Eugene are too busy with their own kid. Your dad's still trying to help reform and rebuild Old Corona. My dad's _dead._ So who the hell is going to protect our family if we take the initiative to search for these guys? You see my dilemma?"

"Cass..."

"I'm being serious."

"As am I. Look, I know this is frightening, okay?"

She nodded a little, heaving a small sigh and looking down at her feet. "I'm just trying to protect her, and the baby... I'm not even sure I know how to do that anymore."

He reached to tilt her chin up so she was looking at him again. "You _do._ Heck, that's what you do best! You've taken care of Trys for all these years, protected her as best you could--"

"Saved _your_ ass several times," she interjected, smirking slightly.

He laughed. "That too. Cassandra, you're a warrior. Protecting others comes as easily to you as, as... As _breathing."_

She gave a small smile. "I... I guess so."

"Good," he said softly, kissing her forehead, "I love you, Cass."

"I love you too," she murmured, closing her eyes a little.

He wrapped his arms around her, smiling when she leaned into his touch. "Those Sons had better watch out, though. They've messed with the wrong family."

* * *

Cassandra sighed, sitting up. She glanced over at her husband, smiling softly when she saw that he was still fast asleep. Man, was she jealous of his ability to sleep like that...

She stood up quietly, careful not to wake him, before heading into the kitchen to grab herself a cup of water. She quickly downed it, making a quick restroom stop on the way back to her room before deciding to check on her hopefully-sleeping daughter.

When she stepped into Trys's room, though, she spotted a dark figure standing next to her daughter's bed. She frowned deeply, already reaching for something, _anything,_ she could use as a weapon against the unexpected visitor.

Before she could do anything, though, they turned towards her. "Cassandra. So you finally decide to show up."

* * *

**iii. The Stranger**

* * *

"Get the hell away from my daughter," Cassandra said, "and get the hell out of my house."

Gentle moonlight streaming in through the window gave the silhouette a few features, but not too many. He remained silent, though, and merely stood there.

"I'm gonna give you to the count of three..."

He laughed a little. "You think you're going to intimidate me with that? I have children of my own; I know what you're trying to do here."

"I don't give a crap. Step away from my daughter. _Now."_

He stepped away from the bed, hands in the air as if he was surrendering.

She let out a small sigh of relief. "... Thank you."

He stepped away a little more, holding Cass's gaze the whole time.

Suddenly, her curiosity kicked in and took over. While she could easily just kick him out, she had questions.

"So... Who are you, how did you get in here, and why are you here in the first place?"

He laughed softly, stepping closer to where the light from the hall shone on him. He had dark hair and stormy blue eyes, and a slight tan. He honestly couldn't be that much younger than Cass herself was-- maybe by a year or two.

"I got in here through the open window," he said honestly, pointing to said window next to her bed.

It was indeed open.

Cass moved to shut it quickly before pulling the stranger into the hall so she could shoo him out the front door once he was finished answering her questions.

"My name is Lucas," he continued on, "and I came here to meet you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why? And why didn't you just, you know, _knock?"_

"I don't do the whole 'knocking' thing."

"... Okay?"

But he wasn't finished yet. "And I wanted to meet you because... Well, because my Family Records show that you and I share a father. So yeah... I'm Lucas Woodson. Your half brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished it, and got it posted!!! Major kudos to anyone and everyone who has been patiently waiting for this!
> 
> I'm going to try and keep it like its predecessor, with at least one chapter being posted monthly. Chapter two is already in the works; just hang in there!


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat shorter than most other chapters I have written in "Step by Step." But I need to post a July chapter, preferably before we go off on vacation.

**Revelations**

* * *

Cassandra blinked, reaching to brace herself against the wall. "I'm sorry... _What?"_

Lucas reached out to help her, but she shook her head adamantly.

"I don't need any help, let alone _yours."_

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me."

"No, I don't," she agreed, "and frankly, I don't care to believe you."

"Why not?"

Because believing him would be admitting that she had been abandoned. Unwanted. Probably unloved. She had never given her parentage much thought, and when she did, she always just assumed that they had died somehow, unwittingly leaving her behind.

But Lucas was clearly younger than her by a year or so, and if what he said was true...

"Cassie? Are you okay?"

She sighed deeply, looking over to the source of the tired-sounding voice. Varian stood in their now-open doorway, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"I'm fine, Var."

He stopped, suddenly focusing on Lucas. "Who is this?"

"I'm Lucas," he introduced himself, "I'm her half brother."

Varian's eyes widened, and suddenly he looked a lot more alert and awake. "Seriously?"

Cass began shaking her head and saying "No" just as Lucas nodded his affirmation. The latter reached to pull something out of his pocket. It was a folded-up paper, which Cass recognized as something official from the Registry of the Seven Kingdoms.

"This is a document showing the family tree," he said quietly, unfolding it and handing it over to Varian, "you can see where I am, and where she ties in."

Varian studied it, nodding a little as he did. Cass merely glared at Lucas.

"You're not her only sibling?" Varian asked, pointing at the paper, "or, you know... Half sibling?"

Lucas nodded. "Including her, there's five of us. She's the oldest, though, and the only kid Dad had with someone who wasn't Mom."

Cass spoke up. "Let me get this straight: he gave me up and then turned right around and had four more kids?"

That thought hurt her more than she would like to admit.

"... I'm not even sure if he knows you exist," he admitted quietly, "but otherwise... Yes."

"Doesn't know she exists?" Varian asked softly.

"I have never heard mention of her name until I got the paper here."

Cass bit her lip. "So... You just decided to seek me out?"

Lucas nodded. "You're family. I had to at least _meet_ you..."

She took the paper from the husband, studying the names. "That's... Quite the family."

The man who was supposedly her father-- Byron, it said his name was-- had a wife and four other children, all boys. Lucas's name had another name next to it, presumably his own wife, and they had three more names under them.

And then she looked at her name. There was only one name directly connected to her, Byron's. She assumed she would find her husband and daughter's names if she looked at her own Record...

Her brows furrowed when she spotted the question mark that was there in place of a mother's name. It seriously didn't bother to mention Varian or Trys, and yet had the audacity to tell her that it had no idea who her mother was?

"... He never mentioned being with anyone before your mother?" she asked softly, still staring at the question mark, "someone who could've been _my_ mother?"

She wasn't buying into this, not quite yet. But still... How could it be that her name, her _existence,_ was suddenly tied to his, with hardly an acknowledgement from her biological mother? And if he didn't even know she existed, as Lucas suspected, what evidence was there to tie her name to his?

Too many questions swirled in Cass's mind, and she went to sit down as she tried to process it all. Varian sat next to her, putting a supportive hand on her knee. She glanced over at him, wishing she could return the small smile that he gave her.

"If you want, you can come with me to meet him," Lucas finally said after a short moment had passed, "Dad, I mean. My family's going out to see him in a few days, to celebrate his birthday..."

"We'll think about it."

He ignored the shortness in her response. "Alright. If you decide to join us, Monday morning-- before nine-- on the other side of the bridge. You can bring your husband and daughter if you want; I'm sure Dad would love getting to meet not just you, but your entire family."

Cass just nodded.

"... I should probably get going now," he said after another moment, "Amalia's probably waiting for me."

Cass nodded again, grateful for this reprieve.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Cassandra. You too--"

"Varian," she responded, "my husband's name is Varian."

"... You too, Varian," he said, offering them both a smile before heading out the front door.

Cass watched him through the front window as he left, frowning deeply. "What a loon. Thinks he can just waltz into my house, say he's my half brother, and then invite me to join him and his family so we can meet his-- 'our'-- father..."

"Cassie," Varian murmured, "I think he's telling the truth."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Look, I know what you're thinking, okay? And that you're trying your hardest to deny it. But he has the Record to show..."

"Records can be faked," she said, "the amount of false Records I've seen, young women and girls trying to prove that they were the lost princess..."

She shook her head.

"He had your eyes, Cass. And the hair color was extremely similar, if not the same."

"Can we stop talking about this?" she interjected, "please?"

"Why are you so desperate to deny this?" he responded, "all of the evidence you need is right there. I've met Byron before-- he lived in Old Corona for a short time-- and, I mean, I can totally see where the two of you are related. And I mean, Lucas came so far to..."

"Shut up!"

Varian blinked, taken aback by the sudden shout. "I..."

"I don't want to entertain thoughts about who my family could be," she said firmly, "I don't want to anything to do with Lucas or Byron, or whoever the hell my mother could be. I'm Cassandra, the only daughter of Kade Pendergraft and the wife of Varian Vatter. I'm the mother of our beautiful little girl, too. That's all I am, all that I need, and all that I want to be. Okay?"

As she spoke, she gently cupped his face in her hands, leaning her forehead against his.

"... Okay," he murmured softly.

"Good. Now, I don't want to hear another word about this."

She left no room for argument as she went into Trystan's room for a final good-night before heading to her own bedroom and somehow falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


End file.
